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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29457192">we keep this love in a photograph</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/izzienolastname/pseuds/izzienolastname'>izzienolastname</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Legacies (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hosie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:35:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,828</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29457192</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/izzienolastname/pseuds/izzienolastname</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A one-shot about how Hope and Josie went from friends to lovers without even realizing it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>293</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>we keep this love in a photograph</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a time during the school year when the Chemistry of Magic teacher paired Josie and Hope together for a project. It was funny actually, they’d known each other for their whole lives but were still too shy to ask the other when they can work out a date to complete the project after school.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Josie offered they do the project in her shared room first and Hope was grateful. There was really nothing special about the tribrid’s room, she found it almost embarrassing. Not that she cared about what Josie thought about her bedroom decorations (she didn’t). </p>
<p> </p>
<p>That was until they started hanging out more for the project. One time they got on the topic of her room and Josie brought over her polaroid camera and a few plants, suggesting they decorate her room a bit as a break from the work. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s so... you.” that’s the first reaction that comes from the siphoner when she walks into Hope’s room. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Plain? Boring? Empty?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No! No! It’s just-“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope laughs, “I know what you mean’t.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Josie takes a breath.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope sits on the edge of her own bed, “Can you blame me? I spend half of my time in your room nowadays.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Josie ducks her head and looks to the floor with a smile. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>After that and the weeks after the project was finished, it became normal for them to hang out. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It became the most consistent thing, Hope would show up at Josie’s door unannounced or Josie would show up at Hope’s and they’d just spend time with each other. It easily became normal in their schedule.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For them it was different then hanging out with other friends, for some reason they have always felt this comfortable together even if they weren’t necessarily close.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There were many times where Hope couldn’t sleep at night. She would throw her blanket off and hesitate to get up. A thin layer of sweat covered her body from waking up in the middle of the night. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sometimes she’d sit on the edge of her bed with her head in her hands, debating on what to do. She could either wolf out or go back to bed. But then one day it became natural for her feet to lead her to Josie’s room. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She would use a silencing spell to sneak through the halls at night, the smallest creak of the floorboards could be her last time sneaking out for awhile. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When she’d quietly open the door, occasionally Josie would be sitting up in bed somehow expecting her, but usually she was asleep.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nothing made her feel more guilty then waking her up, she didn’t want to be the reason Josie lost sleep. Little did she know the other girl looked forward to those nights the most, where she’d lay with her till they both fell asleep.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you going to lay down?” Josie asked while turning around in bed and looking to where Hope had been standing for a long moment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I didn’t want to wake you.” Hope plays with the fabric of her tank top.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Josie just smiles and pats the spot next to her and the auburn haired girl finally lays down.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When she feels the other girl’s arm wrap around her waist, the feeling never goes away every night she does it. Their bodies press together and Hope finally feels comfortable for the first time that night.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Goodnight Hope.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Night Jo.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lizzie definitely caught on quickly. You would never hear the end of her teasing. She started hanging out with MG more, so Hope and Josie usually had the room to themselves.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few months later, Hope’s own room finally started to look like someone actually lived in it. Fairy lights hung from the wall and the board was now pinned with polaroids of mostly her and Josie. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s still somewhat messy, which Josie sometimes yells at her for. Random canvases are propped up against the walls, all of her brushes and paints are organized nicely which she is proud of, she’s too passionate to ruin those.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The paints and brushes were bought by Josie for her birthday. Hope thinks it’s one of the best gifts she’s ever gotten just because of who it’s from (and maybe she thinks of the girl every time she attempts to paint using them).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The plants by her window started with just one or two but now there is more than a handful (also thanks to Josie). Hope is not the best plant mom, so the siphoner helps whenever she is over.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope would never admit it out loud but sometimes she uses magic to heal the plants when she forgets to water them. She’s really bad at taking care of them but she tries her best for her friend. She loves Josie’s reaction to her progress too much for her to fail.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You need to name it!” Josie lifts up one of the small plants in both hands carefully.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope scuffs, “Name a plant?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yea why not?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope melts at how pure her friend can be. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Name it Grogu,” Josie suggests and the tribrid starts giggling, “what? it’s a good name!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Okay Jo, we’ll name it Grogu.” Hope agrees to the Star Wars reference and the brunette crushes her in a hug. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She thinks of the Mandalorian marathon that Josie invited her along to a few weeks ago. MG and Lizzie joined too. Hope got ridiculed by the three of them for not knowing much about Star Wars, which led to Josie forcing her to watch all the movies with her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope ended up loving the movies. Cuddling with Josie the whole time was the best part though.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Another thing that comes with them being close is sharing clothes. Hope has no idea how this starts or how it happens but it happens naturally.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Josie steals Hope’s sweatshirts when she sleepovers, they’re sometimes short for her because of their height difference but some of the oversized ones are perfect. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Anyone could tell the sweatshirts belong to Hope, the dried up paint on the sleeves is a dead give away. The girl doesn’t say anything, so what if she enjoys watching Josie walk around the school in something that’s hers?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope has a pastel yellow SBS sweatshirt, literally anyone could tell that it doesn’t belong to her, it screams Josie Saltzman.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>One night the Mikaelson girl heads over to the Saltzman’s room when she bumps into Lizzie who is in the middle of leaving. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh you’ve got be kidding me!” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope stops in her tracks at the tone of her voice, she folds her arms and looks to the twin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lizzie laughs for a moment, “Seriously?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Your outfit.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The auburn haired girl looks over her sweatpants and sweatshirt, “What about my outfit?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“When do you plan on asking my sister out?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The question comes out of nowhere.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope embarrassingly stutters on her words.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You share clothes, you basically live together, you cuddle, you call each other ‘babe!’”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We do not call each other babe!” Hope almost shouts back after being easily worked up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Babe?” a very familiar voice comes from the room and Josie walks out the door.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hi Jo.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lizzie almost drops her belongings from laughing when Hope responds to the pet name. Josie gives the two of them a very odd look as Hope blushes hard in the dim lighting of the hall.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s going on?” she looks between the two of them again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I was just leaving but then your girlfriend got in my way!” Lizzie pushes past Hope.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’re not da-“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whatever! Goodbye!” Lizzie sing songs over her sister’s voice. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The both of them stand awkwardly for a couple moments after. Hope can’t help herself from feeling something in her heart when she’s referred to as Josie Saltzman’s girlfriend. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They aren’t dating. Even if it seems that way to the whole world. They’ve never kissed or talked about their feelings. Hope doesn’t want to lose her best friend so she’ll keep her silence. She would wait forever. Plus, she doesn’t know if Josie even likes her back that way. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey,” Josie breaks the silence and Hope’s eyes shoot up, “are you gonna come in?” she pushes the door back open.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope follows after her and takes in the room, it’s the same as always, the lighting warm as the scent, everything about it calms her instantly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So,” Josie quickly walks over to her desk and picks her polaroid camera up, “I was thinking that we could maybe take a picture to put on my board, since I don’t have any.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The camera is a pastel yellow which is extremely fitting, it’s Josie’s favorite color. Hope finds joy in the fact that Josie likes to take pictures with her and capture their memories together. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Currently on her board are mostly old photos of Josie and Lizzie as children and recent ones, some are of MG and Kaleb. One catches her eyes that she totally forgot about, it’s herself standing in front of the canvas while painting. Hope remembers that night and how Josie smiled down at the picture in her hands.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>None of the pictures hanging up are of the two of them together in the photo like in her own room, so she’d be happy to take some.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope looks down to her own outfit, “I look like I just got out of bed.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You look beautiful,” Josie steps closer to where she’s standing and puts the camera back on the desk, “as always.” she puts the biggest smile on without trying and accidentally brushes against her arm, Hope would kiss her if her mind could process words first.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Okay get ready for the picture.” Josie holds the camera up in front of them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re the most beautiful person I know.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It comes out way too fast for Hope’s liking but she needed to say something and that’s the first thing that came to her mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The camera timer beeps as it counts down.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Josie’s eyes glance down to Hope’s lips and she starts leaning in. Their nose’s brush, barely touching. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As soon as the flash goes off, their lips finally meet. With the hand that isn’t holding the camera, Josie caresses Hope’s face. It takes the other girl a second to respond but when she does she pulls Josie’s body impossibly closer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When they pull away, Hope opens her eyes to see Josie’s eyes still shut for another moment. She can feel her face burning and her heart crashing against her chest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They stare at each other until the sound of the photo developing makes them jump.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When it’s done, Josie looks at it first and smirks. Hope looks at it with disbelief because she’s still trying to process kissing Josie.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ve been waiting to do that for the longest time.” the brunette admits this silently and Hope thinks she can’t handle another moment of this. She’s definitely in love with Josie Saltzman.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Me too.”</p>
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